Contrary to expectations, the average and total yield of cotton is likely to be lower this season in erstwhile Adilabad district thanks to spells of untimely rain and circulation of suspected spurious seeds at the beginning of kharif. The cotton plants have grown to a height of even 8 ft but carry fewer than the normal bolls.
During the last three days of trading at the Adilabad Agriculture Market Committee yard only about 19,000 quintals of cotton has been traded against an expected 45,000 quintals. This is due to low yield in the first pickings, according to sources among traders.
Against an anticipated extent of about 3.10 lakh hectare of land under cotton in Adilabad, Kumram Bheem Asifabad, Mancherial and Nirmal districts, sowing took place in nearly 3.2 lakh hectare.
Poor output
According to initial conservative estimates of the Agriculture Department the yield was expected to be nearly 16 quintals per hectare and the total harvest was put at over 51 lakh quintals.
“We are unlikely to get a yield of even 4 quintals per acre is this continues,” opined Gedam Ramdas a farmer from Mallapur village in Sirikonda mandal of Adilabad district. Like the case of other Adivasi farmers in his village, the cotton plants have grown to a height of over 7 ft but are carrying only about 10 bolls which is way below the normal 50. “Many flowers fell off and a large number of the bolls have decayed due to the recent rainfall,” he added.
The Agriculture Department ordered a study into the phenomenon and scientists from Adilabad District Agriculture Advisory and Transfer of Technology Centre surveyed fields at random in the four districts.
Study
The sampling showed that cotton plants have grown abnormal in height and the weeds in the vicinity of each plant have dried up.
“The signs indicate that the seeds sown were of the herbicide tolerant cotton, the sale of which is illegal. The actual reason for this unusual trend will be known only after a scientific analysis,” observed DAATTC coordinator Sudhanshu Kasbe.
